Disposable hypodermic syringe



Sept. 4, 1962 J. SILVER ETAL 3,052,240

DISPOSABLE HYPODERMIC SYRINGE INVENTORS Jc//es //ver W George FZ//e r* www@ ATTORNEY/ Sept. 4, 1962 J. s'lLvx-:R ETAL DISPOSABLE HYPODERMIC SYRINGE 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed Jan. 29, 1959 INVENTOR BYA/ Wj. DNA ,fm @m r/ Mm y y de JG,

3,052,240 Patented Sept. 4, 1962 tice 3,952,240 DISPOSABLE HYPDERMIC SYRINGE Jules Silver, North Franklin, and George Fuller, Hampton, Conn.; said Fuller assigner to said Silver Filed Jan. 29, 1959, Ser. No. 789,931 Claims. (Cl. 12S-218) This invention relates to improvements in disposable hypodermic syringes with which it is intended to use a dry, desiccated or lyophilized vaccine or pharmaceutical and a diluent or solvent therefor.

In a co-pending application Serial No. 398,437, filed Iuly 17, 1956, and now abandoned, is shown a disposable hypodermic syringe for use with a medicament and a diluent and means for the facile mixture of the two prior to injection. It is a purpose of the present invention to provide a disposable hypodermic syringe having improved means for maintaining the dry powder or medicament under vacuum seal, and the medicament and diluent under control so that the same may be properly admixed at the time of use in an eilicient and positive manner.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a disposable hypodermic syringe including chambers adapted to separately receive a dry medicament and a solvent therefor; separate chambers being provided for the same with improved means for controlling the mixture of the solvent and medicament, at the time of use; the details of the improved syringe being fool-proof and constructed so as to maintain the solvent and the medicament in proper condition for extended periods of time.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent during the course of the following detailed description.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specication, and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of one form of the improved disposable hypodermic syringe.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation taken at 90 with respect to FIGURE 1, showing other details of the improved syringe.

FIGURE 3 is a vertical cross sectional view taken through the hypodermic syringe substantially on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2, showing the means for maintaining a dry vaccine or medicament under vacuum seal and maintaining its solvent or a diluent in position so that the two ingredients can be mixed at the desired time.

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3, but with the plunger or piston withdrawn for the mixing of the K diluent and medicament.

FIGURE 5 is a View similar to FIGURES 3 and 4, but with the piston or plunger in position for exhausting air from above the mixed pharmaceutical, in order that there will be no liability of air injection into the subject.

FIGURE 6 is a vertical cross sectional view taken through the chambers of the hypodermic syringe showing the position of the parts after injection of the pharmaceutical into the subject.

FIGURE 7 is a plan view of the details shown in FIGURE 2.

`FIGURES 8 and 9 are cross sectional views taken substantially on the lines 8-8 and 9-9 of FIGURES 2 and 3 respectively.

FIGURE 10 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 11i-10 of FIGURE 6.

FIGURE 11 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 11-11 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 12a is a vertical cross sectional view taken through an air vent provided for the diluent receiving chamber of the syringe.

FIGURE 12 is a side elevation of a modified form of improved disposable hypodermic syringe.

FIGURE 13 is a front elevation of the syringe of FIGURE 12.

lFIGURE 14 is a vertical cross sectional view taken through the details of the syringe of FIGURE 13, substantially on the line 14-14 of FIGURE 13, and showing the parts of the syringe in an inoperative position.

FIGURE 15 is a plan view of the syringe of FIG- URE 14.

FIGURES 16, 17 and 18 are transverse cross sectional views taken substantially on their respective lines, shown in FIGURE 14.

In the drawings, wherein are shown several different forms of the invention, the letter A may generally designate the form shown in FIGURE 1, and B the form of invention shown in FIGURE 12.

In the form of invention shown in FIGURE 1, there is provided a main barrel 25, preferably of cylindrical formation, having a chamber or compartment or passageway 26 therealong. At the top, the same is annularly llanged at 27 providing long linger grips 27a, and at the bottom thereof, it has a sloping bottom wall 28, terminating in an apertured nipple 29 wherein is adapted to be inserted the hypodermic needle 30. A plastic sealing cap 31 is adapted to fit in air-tight relation upon the nipple 29 for the purpose of housing the needle 30. Preferably the materials of the hypodermic syringe are inexpensive plastic. To the barrel tube 25 is connected an eccentric tubular receptacle 35, extending from the upper end thereof to a location below the midway point thereof; this receptacle 35 having a compartment or chamber 37 therein. A duct or passageway 38 communicates the extreme bottom of the chamber 37 with an intermediate portion of the passageway or chamber 26. The chamber 26 is adapted to receive the dry pharmaceutical or medicament 40. The bottom 49 of the receptacle portion 35 is sloped downwardly toward the duct 38 to insure drainage of all diluent into the syringe barrel 25.

A piston-like plunger 41 is slidably disposed in the chamber 26, having an upper palm engaging flanged end 42, which is rather broad and preferably at at the top. This plunger 41 is of T-shaped cross section or it could be cylindrical. -T he ange 42 is provided with a depending stop extension 44 integral or rigidly connected therewith, which depends downwardly and is adapted to engage the top surface of one of the ange extensions 27a in order to close the passageway 38 by means of a nipple or cap 50, which is connected upon the lower reduced end of the plunger 41. This nipple is of rubber, neoprene or similar material not capable of being aifected by either the medicament or its solvent, and is preferably of 35 durometer. It is in the shape of an inverted cap and has annular spaced ribs thereon, as shown in the drawings, of a size to snugly but slidably engage the internal walls of the chamber 26 and provide a leak-proof t. The bottom of the nipple is preferably tapered to facilitate its insertion in the passageway 26. It will be noted from FIGURE 3 that the nipple closes off the passageway 38 and thus holds the diluent or solvent in the chamber 37. This is the normal position of the disposable hypodermic syringe, prior to use, and under such circumstances, the pharmaceutical 40 is maintained under vacuum in the compartment 26 below the nipple. In this position, the extension 44 will engage a flange 2.7*et in the position shown in FIGURE 2 and the plunger 41 cannot be further depressed.

'Ihe diluent chamber 37 opens at .the top thereof and detachably receives a resilient cap 50a, shown best in FIGURE 12a; the same having a small axial passageway 51 therethrough. A small container 52 is secured by adhesive or by otherl means upon the cap 50a, and it has an air chamber v53 therein and a bottom passageway 54 aligning with the passageway 51. This receptacle 52 may indeed form part of the cover 50a, but the air chamber 53 is important. The receptacle 52, on the top thereof, is provided lwith another receptacle or box S having a bottom passageway 56 therein communicating with lthe chamber 53. The compartment 57 of this box 55 is adapted to receive sterilized cotton and at the top (or side) thereof it has vent opening 58 within which seats a detachable plug 59, norm-ally held closed by means of a tab 60 secured to the box 55 for holding it in place.

The receptacle 52 forms an air block to prevent the diluent from readily passing yfrom the compartment 37 into the compartment 53, and the openings 54 and 56 are so small that due to sur-face tension the diluent will not enter the body of the sterilized cotton nor pass into the container 55 even when the lsyringe is placed in horizontal position.

In use, the assembly is held lin a natural, vertical or slanting direction with the needle end pointed down. The operator removes the plug 59 from the opening 58. With the syringe held -irmly at the barrel 25, the plunger 41 is pulled outwardly. This uncovers the passageway 38 and permits the diluent to rush into the chamber 26 below the nipple 50 until the diluent chamber is empty. Of course the removal of the plug 59 permits air to pass through the vent lopening 58 Iand through the sterilized cotton into the chamber 37. The diluent enters the chamber 26 and dissolves the pharmaceutical powder. The syringe is still held in position with the needle pointing downward and then the plunger is pushed downward and the nipple 50 returned to the position shown in FIG- URE 5. This action discharges the excess -air from the barrel through the passageway 38 and through the Vent at the top of the chamber 37. Note that the passageway 38 `is now blocked. rlhe plastic needle cover 31 is then removed and the plunger 41 is then turned for 90 in either direction. This places the extension 44 out of the path of the longer flange extensions 27a. The plunger 41 can then 4be depressed for expressing residual air in the syringe. The needle end is thrust through the lbody skin into the surrounding tissues. The plunger 41 is then fully depressed Ifor injecting the solution until the barrel chamber 26 is emptied (see FIGURE 6).

Referring to the form of invention B, it will be noted that the same differs from the form of invention A in that the receptacle 70 i-s .concentric with the barrel 25 instead of being eccentric as in the case of the receptacle 35 for the form of invention A. The receptacle 70 defines an annular chamber 71 therein and the wall of the barrel 25. is provided with a passageway 38a communicating the chambers 26 and 71. The bottomwall 74 of the concentric 4receptacle 70 slopes with a taper downwardly from ya location diametrically opposed yto 4the duct 38 to the duct side of the receptacle 25, so that the lowermost portion of the bottom surface of the bottom wall 74 is directly at the duct 38a. Thus, even with the assemblage B at an angle, during use thereof, all of the diluent will filow `from the chamber 71 into the chamber 26.

Insofar as possible, similar reference characters describing the parts of the .form of invention A correspond to like parts in connection with the form of invention B. It will be noted that lthe top wall of the receptacle 70 is formed with the iinger engaging extensions 27a and the top wall is provided with a venting assemblage C with is of the same construction as the venting assemblage C shown in FIGURE 12?1 for the form of invention A.

Various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be made to the 4form of invention herein shown and described, without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the claims.

We claim:

1. A hypodermic syringe comprising a tubular shaped housing havin-g a chamber therein land a subject inserting apertured needle secured at the end of the housing provided with means to releasably seal the aperture thereof, a manually oper-ated plunger slidably in the housing chamber having a .slidable sealing piston head in contact with the walls of the chamber, a receptacle mounted on the tubular housing having a chamber therein located laterally of the housing, said housing and said receptacle having a duct which communicates the bottom of the chamber of the receptacle with the intermediate portion of the chamber of the housing, said plunger being capable of movement lengthwise of the chamber of the housing whereby the piston vmay be located so as to seal off the duct or moved to a position above the duct or to a posi-tion below the duct, and motion limiting means carried by both the plunger and the housing which in one position of the plunger with respect to the housing will limit the downward movement of the plunger in the chamber of the tubular housing so as to seal off said duct a-t -said piston head, the plunger being rotatable so that the limiting means thereof may bypass the limiting :means of the housing upon a predetermined degree of turning of the plunger with respect to the housing whereby the piston head may then be moved to a location below said duct, the cham-ber of the housing below said duct being provided with a medicament and the chamber of the receptacle means being provided with a solvent.

2. A hypodermic syringe as set forth in claim l wherein the receptacle a-t the top thereof is provided with a filtered vent to permit air to pass into lthe chamber of the receptacle and enable flow of the solvent through the duct to the chamber of the housing when the piston is withdrawn to lift the piston head above the duct thereby creating a vacuum which will enable such tiow of the solvent to the chamber of the housing and admixture with the medicament.

3. A hypodermic syringe as described in claim l wherein the motion limiting means of the plunger comprises a depending `stop extension connected at the top of the plunger and loca-ted laterally therefrom in substantial parallelism therewith, yand the motion limiting means of the housing comprises a laterall flan-ge located at the top of the barrel for only a portion of the circumference thereof.

4. A hypodermic syringe as defined Iin claim 1 in which the receptacle is laterally disposed Ito one side only of the housing and is provided with a bottom wall which slopes laterally from its most outermost side downwardly towards the housing to a location immediately below the duct.

5. A hypodermic -syringe as described in claim 1 wherein the receptacle comprises a cylindrical shaped hollow body surrounding the housing at the upper portion thereof provided with a bottom wall which slopes both circumferentially and laterally towards the housing to a lowermost location immediately below the said duct.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 857,739l Kennerly et al June 25, 1907 2,490,553 Smith Dec. 6, 1949 2,607,343 Sarver Aug. 19, Ai952 2,761,447 Hersee Sept. 4, 1956 2,896,622 Huttermann July 28, 1959 2,907,329 Cohen Oct. 6, 1959 

